


Not Always 20/20

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Betrayal, Evil Alexander Pierce, F/M, Getting Together, Hurt Wanda Maximoff, Legal Drama, Lies, Orphan Wanda Maximoff, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:56:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Wanda thought she had finally found a home and a friend that wasn't related to her. She doesn't know what happened, but all of a sudden her life came crashing down.Now it's years later, and new information comes to light.





	Not Always 20/20

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the deal. There are no MAJOR warnings, but there's lots of little ones. Pierce is a rapist and a pedophile, and that is talked about. He in no way hurt Wanda, but threats are mentioned. 
> 
> A fill for my kink bingo square Food: Ice Cream

Wanda had thought she and Tony were best friends. They hung out all the time, she had more fun with him than she'd ever had with someone other than Pietro, and it seemed like Tony felt the same way. She'd never had anyone other than her brother before, and having a friend that chose her rather than being stuck with her-- as much as she loved Pietro, they were twins and even the foster system wasn't going to split them up-- was a novel idea, and one she was in love with. Tony wasn't her actual first friend, but he felt like the first one. She loved so many things about him, but in the top five was definitely the way he'd drag her out for ice cream. There was a an ice cream parlor in town called 'Fudge 'Em', and they had t-shirts with a mound of decadent ice cream and the name on the bottom, fudge drizzled on top of the words then topped with sprinkles. The ice cream looked like it was giving everyone the finger, and Wanda couldn't stop laughing when she saw it. Tony bought her the shirt despite her protests that she wouldn't be able to pay him back, and she loved it to pieces.

So it was nothing short of a betrayal when child services showed up at Senator Pierce's house and he explained, looking regretful, that Tony had explained what she got up to at school and he was sorry but he didn't have the time to deal with all of that, and she and Pietro went back in the system for the last year before they became adults.

Wanda skipped school a couple days later, not wanting to see Tony and have him try to explain again, as if there was anything he could say to excuse lying to Senator Pierce to the point that he kicked them out. She didn't even want to know what lurid story he came up with that would be so bad, because she was sure it had been something about her sleeping around. People did that. Called her a slut because her boobs were big instead of any action on her part. Tony didn't stare, so she'd thought he was better. Lord she was so angry with him that she could barely stand it, face twisting in hatred any time she saw him for the rest of the year. When she passed Fudge 'Em, it made her angry. It got to the point that she took the long way home just so she didn't have to see it.

Eventually he stopped trying to talk to her, and they all graduated. She didn't talk to him again.

~~She kept the shirt even though a glimpse of it reminded her of his betrayal, but she couldn't bear to throw it out.~~

***Seven Years Later***

Wanda didn't want to do this. She really, sincerely, did not. But Pietro had passed four years ago in an antisemitic shooting, and they were the only two children Senator Pierce had fostered. Well, former Senator. He got busted for possession of child porn and was accused of two counts of rape of under age women, so the team prosecuting him called her up and asked for an interview. She'd tried to explain that she hadn't noticed a single thing, but they insisted that even minor details might help keep him away for life if it supported evidence they already had. She wasn't convinced that she had any information that would even do that, but they were doing a good thing, and she wanted to support that. They thought she might help, so she was going to at least go in for a few questions.

She sighed, pulling her hair back, checked it in the mirror, then left. She hoped she wasn't wasting their time.

The situation was fairly formal, and that felt better than some bleeding heart who was convinced she had a confession if only someone talked in an overly comforting tone and looked sympathetic. They gave her a glass of water at the table, and assured her that the meeting would be kept confidential unless she needed to appear in court.

"Did Alexander Pierce ever touch you inappropriately?"

"No."

"Did he ever make comments of a flirtatious nature?"

"No."

"Did he ever comment about your body?"

Wanda opened her mouth to say no again, then paused. "Uh- one day it was hot out and he told me to cover up."

"Do you remember what you were wearing at the time he said that?"

"Shorts and a tank top, I think?" she said with a shrug. "It was a long time ago." She was pretty sure she had been showing off for Tony at the time. 

The two people-- lawyers, she figured-- nodded along, but they were writing notes, so she figured it was something. "Did he ever make possessive comments about you?"

Wanda frowned. "What kind of comments?" she asked for clarification. He'd said a few things that rubbed her the wrong way, but she figured that was her home-to-home lifestyle rearing its head.

"Perhaps that you shouldn't date? Maybe that you should spend more time at home?"

"I mean. A couple times yeah, but I spent a lot of time at my friend's house. He said that it was disrespectful to ignore him or something." Even now, thinking of Tony sent a frisson of anger through her. It had dulled a little with time, but it was still there. "But he never came onto me."

They nodded again, scribbling on their papers.

* * *

"Look," Wanda said, setting her cup down with a slightly too hard clink, "why don't you say whatever it is you want to say."

Tony was still staring at the tabletop instead of her. "I was hoping I could explain. About that- thing with Pierce back in high school."

She narrowed her eyes, but, for once, she wanted to hear it. "Alright."

"Alright?" he repeated in surprise, looking up at her.

"Yes. Now talk."

"Right um," Tony ran a hand through his hair, eyes darting back down to the table. "So you know everything going on with Pierce now? The child porn and rape accusations?"

"Yeah."

"I'm the one that turned him in."

Wanda blinked once, then twice, stomach filling with dread.

"I found out when we were still in high school, and he caught me. I was... pretty fearless at the moment, so I told him to his face that I was going to turn him in."

Wanda nodded, swallowing thickly. Twenty seconds ago she'd been angry with him-- and the seven years preceding that-- but now she was learning that she was wrong and all at once it left her feeling exhausted. "I'm guessing you didn't?"

"You and Pietro were still living with him at the time," he said, as if that explained it all.

"So? Tony he kicked us out anyways, you could have at least taken him down at the same time."

"...Do you really think," Tony said slowly, "that he kicked you out because your best friend found out he was a fucking pedophile? I confronted him and he- threatened you." Tony's hand was shaking slightly as he brought his coffee cup up.

"Threatened me how?" Wanda asked, even though she knew. They both knew.

"He said that if I went to the police, they wouldn't be able to separate you before he could do something. I-. We agreed. That uh, I wouldn't tell anyone what I found, and he wouldn't keep the two of you in his house. So." Tony shrugged, shoulders tense. Everything about him was tense.

Wanda didn't say anything at first. The information was sinking in. "Fuck," she breathed. "I had no idea, I didn't- shit. Did you tell the prosecutors about that?"

He nodded.

"No wonder they insisted on seeing me. Fucking fuck I need time to process this." She grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "I'll -um, thank you Tony. I'll... call you or text you or something, I promise, I just- right now I have to-"

"It's okay," he said, and she nodded.

"Thank you." Her legs felt wobbly, and it wouldn't surprise her if she fell before she reached her car.

* * *

"Hello?"

She smiled when Tony picked up the phone. "Hey Tony, it's Wanda."

"Oh! Hey what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to get some ice cream."

"Ice cream?" he asked, hesitantly hopeful.

"Yep, it'll be just like old times. Only without a pedophile for my foster parent, so even better."

"Sounds great," he said, and Wanda could hear his grin through the phone. "Fudge 'Em isn't here, but there's a passable parlor on Appleby if you didn't have somewhere else in mind."

"Nope, that sounds great. Pick me up at three?"

"Three today?" he asked, glancing at the clock.

"Unless you have plans."

"Nope, absolutely not. See you at three."

"Yep, see you." They hung up, and she couldn't stop smiling goofily. She looked down at her worn shirt, wondering what Tony would have to say when he saw it. The bottom of the shirt was wearing thin, and the white of the ice cream had faded, making the design all the more obvious.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if I need to add any additional warnings or tags?


End file.
